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I'm sure this topic comes up every once in awhile, so forgive me if it sounds like a broken record. A one sided debate with my friend led me to ask whether or not NFL Championships truly "count" as Championships. Just wanted to see what other people thought of it as well. His premise was that the championships don't count because "they are old."

Yes, they count. GB is the goat NFL team imo. Your friend has a stupid premise. Celtics 17 count. Real Madrid's many trophies count. LAKERS 16 OF WHICH 5 ARE FROM THE MINNESOTA LAKERS ERA COUNT.

I really dislike that "it happened a long time ago" argument. So what if it did? In one hundred years from now I'm sure Jordan's play could be dismissed an "old man/old rules/old era", hell people already think he had little competition in the 90s which is flat out false. That notion would be WRONG. Just like your friend's.

You should thank your friend though, if more people post, this could be a great discussion. Really curious to hear what people here think.

Yes they count.

I want to weigh in, but I want to be sure I'm understanding the question first.

Do you mean championships before the merger?

Yoshun wrote:I want to weigh in, but I want to be sure I'm understanding the question first.

Do you mean championships before the merger?

Yes. Before it was called "The Super Bowl"

76ers3 wrote:

Yoshun wrote:I want to weigh in, but I want to be sure I'm understanding the question first.

Do you mean championships before the merger?

Yes. Before it was called "The Super Bowl"

Ah I follow you.

This is kind of a complicated question because I think it depends on what you mean by "count." I can understand why individual teams would count them, they should, but I don't think they "count" in the grand scheme of things. No disrespect to teams who won before, but it was basically a new league after the merger. I think they should still be acknowledged in places like the pro football hall of fame though, just not as part of the NFL post merger when comparing teams.

Yoshun wrote:

76ers3 wrote:

Yoshun wrote:I want to weigh in, but I want to be sure I'm understanding the question first.

Do you mean championships before the merger?

Yes. Before it was called "The Super Bowl"

Ah I follow you.

This is kind of a complicated question because I think it depends on what you mean by "count." I can understand why individual teams would count them, they should, but I don't think they "count" in the grand scheme of things. No disrespect to teams who won before, but it was basically a new league after the merger. I think they should still be acknowledged in places like the pro football hall of fame though, just not as part of the NFL post merger when comparing teams.

But that is disrespecting those teams.

Let me ask you a question: do you count the Yankees first 7ish championships? Do you count their wartime championships when the MLB was a joke? I do, and I don't want to speak for you but I would assume you do too.

See what I'm getting at?

Championships are championships. They all count.

The NFL wasn't just created in the 1960s.

truth18 wrote:
But that is disrespecting those teams.

Let me ask you a question: do you count the Yankees first 7ish championships? Do you count their wartime championships when the MLB was a joke? I do, and I don't want to speak for you but I would assume you do too.

See what I'm getting at?

I hear what you're saying, but it's not just because they're old or because I have an opinion of the league either way. It's more because it was a different league entirely. Also, as I mentioned before, it depends on how you define the word "count." I don't think they should "count" toward Super Bowl wins, it's a different category. It almost seems more like an argument of semantics more so than anything else.

What I mean is, do you say the Green Bay Packers are a 12 time Champion, or a 4 time Champion? I get that NFL titles don't have the same "legitimacy" as a Super Bowl victory, but it is still a Championship nonetheless.

76ers3 wrote:What I mean is, do you say the Green Bay Packers are a 12 time Champion, or a 4 time Champion? I get that NFL titles don't have the same "legitimacy" as a Super Bowl victory, but it is still a Championship nonetheless.

I consider the 2 things separately.

Yoshun wrote:

76ers3 wrote:What I mean is, do you say the Green Bay Packers are a 12 time Champion, or a 4 time Champion? I get that NFL titles don't have the same "legitimacy" as a Super Bowl victory, but it is still a Championship nonetheless.

I consider the 2 things separately.

Why?

Following that logic, the Knicks or any pre '76 NBA championship doesn't count. That seems a bit silly to me but to each his own

Yoshun wrote:

76ers3 wrote:

Yoshun wrote:I want to weigh in, but I want to be sure I'm understanding the question first.

Do you mean championships before the merger?

Yes. Before it was called "The Super Bowl"

Ah I follow you.

This is kind of a complicated question because I think it depends on what you mean by "count." I can understand why individual teams would count them, they should, but I don't think they "count" in the grand scheme of things. No disrespect to teams who won before, but it was basically a new league after the merger. I think they should still be acknowledged in places like the pro football hall of fame though, just not as part of the NFL post merger when comparing teams.

The merger was in 1970. So your saying to just scrap the first 4 super bowls? They don't count.

Interesting question. Being a Lions fan, I've accepted that the Lions have never won anything. But if you're counting championships and not just Super Bowls, I guess my team wouldn't be empty handed.

I see both sides of the argument. On the one hand, I don't think they should be considered on the same level as Super Bowl wins, simply because they weren't. But I also understand the comparison between other leagues and how they count championships, as well as career stats, and so on.

In the realm of football, I think Championships hold a certain place in the history of the game, but I don't think they should just be gifted the same prestige as a Super Bowl win. And this is coming from someone who would kill a baby to put a Super Bowl win in his team's trophy case. Even if it did happen decades before I was born.


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bluejerseyjinx wrote:

Yoshun wrote:

76ers3 wrote:Yes. Before it was called "The Super Bowl"

Ah I follow you.

This is kind of a complicated question because I think it depends on what you mean by "count." I can understand why individual teams would count them, they should, but I don't think they "count" in the grand scheme of things. No disrespect to teams who won before, but it was basically a new league after the merger. I think they should still be acknowledged in places like the pro football hall of fame though, just not as part of the NFL post merger when comparing teams.

The merger was in 1970. So your saying to just scrap the first 4 super bowls? They don't count.

No not necessarily. Even though the merger was in 1970, the NFL and AFL were playing games against one another before that. The first super bowl in 67' was played as a championship between the 2 teams. I guess that would count in my book. Still though, it was another league.

Not really. Until the super bowl began in 1970, the only and ultimate championship in football was the NFL championship. And yes, starting in 1967 the NFL began playing the AFL in the super bowl. Until Joe Namath upset the Colts in super bowl III, the AFL was considered a much inferior league.

Heck yeah they count, in every sport.

If the CFL merged with the NFL I wouldn't count those CFL championships. I view it as a different category.

Yoshun wrote:

bluejerseyjinx wrote:

Yoshun wrote:
Ah I follow you.

This is kind of a complicated question because I think it depends on what you mean by "count." I can understand why individual teams would count them, they should, but I don't think they "count" in the grand scheme of things. No disrespect to teams who won before, but it was basically a new league after the merger. I think they should still be acknowledged in places like the pro football hall of fame though, just not as part of the NFL post merger when comparing teams.

The merger was in 1970. So your saying to just scrap the first 4 super bowls? They don't count.

No not necessarily. Even though the merger was in 1970, the NFL and AFL were playing games against one another before that. The first super bowl in 67' was played as a championship between the 2 teams. I guess that would count in my book. Still though, it was another league.

No it was not a different league. The league was and is still called, "The National Football League". Always has been the name of the league. They just changed the name of the Championship game, wow.

I just don't see how people can not count the NFL championships, but can count all those NCAA titles UK won, when it was an 8 team tournament, the 11 Russell won, when it was like, a what, an 8 team LEAGUE? And of course, all those titles the Yankees won in the 20s.